Wildfire updates: Comms still down in Tumbler Ridge, Fort St. John evacuees return home
The Latest
Residents of Fort St. John who were evacuated Thursday evening have been allowed to return to their homes.
Cell and internet service continues to be disrupted in Tumbler Ridge.
There are more than two dozen active wildfires across B.C., primarily in the province's northeast. For detailed information, visit the B.C. Wildfire dashboard.
Officials are warning against open burning and backcountry fires due to unseasonably warm, dry conditions and high winds.
For those with low battery or a poor connection, a low-bandwidth version of this site can be found at cbc.ca/lite.
Updates to this story are being posted in reverse-chronological order, below.
Internet and cell service still out in Tumbler Ridge
Andrew Kurjata | Last updated: Friday at 11:15 a.m. PT
Cellphone and internet services continue to be disrupted in Tumbler Ridge after a fibre line was damaged by wildfire on Thursday.
The District says most of its key services remain offline, including email services.
Emergency 911 service is working, but anyone in need of non-emergency help is advised to visit the RCMP office directly.
The visitor centre is offering its landline and WiFi, provided by satellite, for public use and has expanded its hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. PT until service is restored.
Visitors to the community are being warned that many services will be cash only.
While a cluster of wildfires has caused highway closures and delays north of the community, Tumbler Ridge remains accessible via Highway 29 from Chetwynd.
DriveBC is reporting that Highway 52 N, also known as the Heritage Highway, is single lane alternating traffic with a pilot vehicle through the wildfire zone.
That highway is being affected by wildfire G70192, which has grown to 1.85 square kilometres and is classified as out of control, which means it is spreading or anticipated to spread beyond its current control lines. The other fires in the cluster are being held.
Fort St. John evacuees can return home
Andrew Kurjata | Last updated: Friday at 9 a.m. PT
In an update posted to Facebook Friday morning, the City of Fort St. John says those evacuated from their homes on Thursday can now return home.
The Fish Creek Community Forest remains closed until further notice, but the fire has moved away from the community, toward the northeast.
The B.C. Wildfire Service last measured the fire at 56 hectares, or 0.56 kilometres squared and has classified the fire as out of control, which means it is spreading or anticipated to spread beyond its current control line.
Unseasonably warm weather prompts warning
Andrew Kurjata | Last updated: Friday at 9 a.m. PT
The B.C. Wildfire service is urging people to avoid open burning as the province heads into a day of unseasonably warm, dry and windy conditions lasting through Friday.
Though lightning is the leading cause of wildfires in B.C. overall, the service says that in the spring months, human activity is most likely to be responsible for new starts.
Many of the fires reported already this year have been grass fires or burn piles that have gotten out of control.
Merlin Blackwell, mayor of the community of Clearwater north of Kamloops, is urging people to put off backyard burning and other risky behaviour in the days ahead.
"We're saying please take a break from that until we get into the cold front," he said. "It's way too early."
Environment Canada is forecasting temperatures as high as 27 C in the Peace region and 28 C in the Fraser Valley on Friday but says a cooler, wetter weather system is expected this weekend in northern B.C.
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